Two Great British Motoring Events

Andrew Frankl

European Bureau Chief

As The Auto Channel is read all over the World I thought I would mention two
great motoring events enthusiasts might like to consider next time they are
in Britain.

Firstly there is the Louis Vuitton Concours d' Elegance held every year at
the highly prestigious Hurlingham Club in West London.

If the weather is good-and is has been for a number of years-it is a
glorious event. A number of very fine cars and bikes are invited to
participate and for those with an eye for classics this is an event not to
be missed. It is quintessentially British at its best. As you can see from
the picture of the yellow Bugatti with the guy playing croquet in the
background it is totally informal. Nearby there are people playing tennis,
there are very few security guards, the whole ambiance is very very
plesant indeed helped no doubt by lots and lots of happy people drinking
gallons of champagne in the sun and wondering about on the magnificiently
trimmed lawns.

There were categories of course for the various groups of cars depending on
age and type but although some judges such as double World Champion John
Surtees looked pretty ferocious all in all it was a low-key, laid back
event. I am not into celebrity spotting but apparently there were lots of
famous models and pop stars wondering around without a care in the World.
There were racing cars, such as the stunning Ferrari 246 from 1968,
American cars such as the Marmon Sixteen convertible sedan from 1931 and
gems such as the Pierce motor cycle.

Hurlingham is easy to get to and the event is always held early in June.

Another great event is also held in June but a few weeks later. It is the
Goodwood Festival of Speed and it is now such a huge success that the
tickets for the Sunday are sold out in advance. We are talking about 60
thousand tickets by the way..it is the brain child of the Earl of March
known to all and sundry as Charlie. As a great motoring enthusist and fine
racing driver who just happens to own some of the most desirable bits of
real estate in Britain Charlie decided to turn his estate into the scene of
a motoring festival for one week-end every year. If the Hurlingham Club one
is nice one to go to then this one is an absolute must!

First of all the variety of cars and bikes is simply staggering. This
year there were Grand Prix cars such as the McLaren-Mercedes, rally cars
such as the Safari rally winner Ford
Focus, its deadly rival the Subaru Impreza, pre-war racing cars such as the
Auto Union Audis, the Le Mans winning BMW straight from the track and
still covered in oil and dirt, stands by all the major manufacturers from
Ferrari to Maserati and on top of it all
the really exciting cars and bikes actually do a time trial up the hill
protected only by straw bales! As luck would have it The Autochannel had
the new Honda 2000 for test and the organisers invited us to participate in
the run, a great honour in itself and seriously exciting! I let my young
colleague Matt Earle do the driving, after all he was familiar with the car
having just driven it back from the South of France, all in the line of
duty of course! The run itself was pretty thrilling but to meet up with the
drivers of some of the serious machinery was just awesome!

This year's sponsors Audi arranged for an amazing spectacle in front of
the March residence which is further proof that the Goodwood Festival of
Sport is destined to grow and grow. If you are in Britain during the latter
part of June rent a car, a bike, roller blade, hitch hike but whatever else
you do- don't miss it.